Chip element holder and method of handling chip elements

Details Chip element holder and method of handling chip elements Chip element holder and method of handling chip elements

2000-10-11

2003-01-07

Mayes, Curtis (Department: 1734)

Adhesive bonding and miscellaneous chemical manufacture

Methods

Surface bonding and/or assembly therefor

C156S280000, C156S297000, C029S743000, C029S832000, C427S123000

Reexamination Certificate

active

06503356

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a chip element holder and a method of handling chip elements. In particular, this invention relates to a chip element holder which can be favorably used in a process of forming electrodes on the outer surfaces of chip electronic element main bodies that are referred to as chip elements here. The present invention also relates to a method of handling such chip elements.
2. Description of the Related Art
An electronic element such as a laminated type ceramic capacitor is comprised of a chip electronic main body, and a plurality of electrodes serving as terminals on both end portions of the electronic element main body. In order to form these electrodes, a paste application process is required to apply an electrically conductive paste on to each end portion of the electronic element main body. Further, in order to effectively carry out a paste application process for applying the electrically conductive paste, a great number of electronic element main bodies are needed to be aligned properly by using a holder, so that the electrically conductive paste may be simultaneously applied to a great number of electronic element main bodies.
The above mentioned holder may have various shapes or configurations. For example, Japanese Patent Gazette No. 2682250 has disclosed a holder which can be used to properly hold a plurality of electronic element main bodies, even if each of the electronic element main bodies is small, having a length of only 1.0 mm or shorter on one side of a surface on which the electrodes are to be formed. In the following, with reference to
FIGS. 7A-7E
, an explanation will be given to a holder made according to a prior art, and also to a method of applying the electrically conductive paste with the use of the holder.
At first,
FIG. 7A
is used to indicate that a chip element holder
1
is holding a plurality of chip electronic element main bodies
2
referred to as chip elements.
Here, the holder
1
as a whole is a plate member. On one of its main surfaces there are adhesively attached a plurality of electronic element main bodies
2
and thus an adhesive surface is formed in advance for holding the electronic element main bodies
2
. In more detail, the holder
1
comprises a plate substrate
4
made of a rigid material such as a metal, and a holding member
5
formed by an elastomer such as a rubber which is bonded on the substrate
4
. An adhesive surface
3
is formed on the surface of the holding member
5
. However, the adhesive surface
3
may be replaced by the holding member
5
itself having an adhesive property, or by coating the surface of the holding member
5
with an adhesive agent.
Each of the electronic element main bodies
2
has a first end portion
6
and a second end portion
7
which form part of its outer surface and which are opposite to each other so that electrodes may be later formed on these end portions. Further, each of the electronic element main bodies
2
is held by the holder
1
under a condition in which its first end portion
6
has been bonded on the adhesive surface
3
of the holder
1
.
Further, as shown in
FIG. 7A
, an electrically conductive paste
8
has been applied to a fixed base
9
so that a film having a predetermined thickness is formed on the fixed base
9
.
Starting from a condition shown in
FIG. 7A
, the holder
1
is caused to move towards the fixed base
9
, making the second end portion
7
of each electronic element main body
2
to be dipped into the electrically conductive paste
8
.
Subsequently, the electronic element main bodies
2
are drawn up and thus the holder
1
is moved away from the electrically conductive paste
8
. In this way, as shown in
FIG. 7B
, the electrically conductive paste
8
may be applied to the second end portion
7
of each electronic element main body
2
. Afterwards, a drying treatment is carried out so as to dry the electrically conductive paste
8
coated on each element main body.
Next, a step shown in
FIG. 7C
is carried out. In fact,
FIG. 7C
shows a second holder
10
having a structure which is substantially the same as that of the above first holder
1
. Although the second holder
10
has an adhesive surface
11
formed on one of its main surfaces using the same manner as used in the above first holder
1
, the adhesive surface
11
is set to offer a stronger adhesion strength than an adhesion force provided by the adhesive surface
3
of the first holder
1
.
As shown in
FIG. 7C
, when the first holder
1
and the second holder
10
are brought close to each other, the second end portion
7
of each electronic element main body
2
, coated with the electrically conductive paste
8
, may be bonded to the adhesive surface
11
of the second holder
10
.
Then, as shown in
FIG. 7D
, the first holder
1
and the second holder
10
are separated from each other. At this moment, as related in the above, since an adhesion force provided by the adhesive surface
11
of the second holder
10
is set to be stronger than that provided by the adhesive surface
3
of the first holder
1
, the electronic element main bodies
2
will be held on the second holder
10
.
Afterwards, held by the second holder
10
, the electronic element main bodies
2
are treated still further in a manner such that the first end portion
6
of each element main body is coated with the electrically conductive paste
8
, using the steps which are substantially the same as those shown in FIG.
7
A and FIG.
7
B. In this way, as shown in
FIG. 7E
, it is sure that each electronic element main body
2
may be coated at its first and second end portions
6
and
7
by the electrically conductive paste
8
and that such paste coated element main bodies may be held by the second holder
10
.
Next, as shown in
FIG. 7E
, the paste coated electronic element main bodies
2
are separated from the second holder
10
. In the separation process, a knife-like tool
12
is used. Therefore, the paste coated electronic element main bodies
2
may be removed from the adhesive surface
11
by moving the knife-like tool
12
along the adhesive surface
11
.
However, the holding of the electronic element main bodies
2
by either the first holder
1
or the second holder
10
, has been proved to have the following problems because a holding action is effective only by means of an adhesion force provided by either the adhesive surface
3
or the adhesive surface
11
.
Firstly, an adhesion force provided by either the adhesive surface
3
or the adhesive surface
11
will become deteriorated partially or entirely with the passing of time or due to a sort of pollution. For this reason, the electronic element main bodies
2
which have already been held by either the first holder
1
or the second holder
10
are likely to fall off or become inclined or get deviated from their correction positions.
Further, as fast as an adhesion force provided by the adhesive surface
3
or the adhesive surface
11
becomes deteriorated, or once the adhesion force becomes different from one position to another, it is likely that a certain kind of transferring mistake might happen during a process in which the electronic element main bodies
2
are transferred from the first holder
1
to the second holder
10
in a manner as shown in
FIGS. 7C and 7D
.
Moreover, transfer can only be effected in a direction from the first holder
1
to the second holder
10
, i.e., rendering the electronic element main bodies to be transferred from the adhesive surface
3
having a relatively weak adhesion force to the adhesive surface
11
having a relatively strong adhesion force.
In addition, as shown in
FIG. 7E
, when the electronic element main bodies
2
are removed from the adhesive surface
11
using the knife-like tool
12
, if the electronic element main bodies
2
are relatively firmly stuck on the adhesive surface
11
, the electronic element main bodies
2
are likely to be damaged, causing cracks and notches in these element main bodies. Moreover,

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